College of Education and Human Development - George Mason University

A Flash of Mason CEHD Green Shows Up in Zambia

October 31, 2013

Professor Betty Sturtevant took this photo in Zambia when she visited the African country in March as part of an International Reading Association (IRA) project.

Elizabeth Sturtevant, professor of literacy and division director in the College of Education and Human Development at George Mason University, went as an IRA volunteer teacher educator to provide workshops and on-site assistance for two weeks for teachers in rural areas near the Zambian capital, Lusaka. The project was funded by ChildFund Deutschland and administered by IRA and ChildFund Zambia.

 

A second grade classroom in Zambia where Betty Sturtevant volunteered this past March to provide teacher assistance.

 

“I was working with a second grade teacher who was teaching in a nearby church because the local school was being renovated,” said Sturtevant. “Only after I got home did I see that hanging on the wall was one of the CEHD tote bags I had brought as a small gift. The bright green Mason bag in the middle of rural Chibombo District shows just how far this college reaches around the world!”

Sturtevant has been part of IRA international projects since 2004. This work transplants her literacy and reading expertise to settings far different than Northern Virginia.

“One of the things I like best is that this project is done in close partnership with the local educators and government officials,” said Sturtevant. “They are eager for us to be there and provide research-based guidance on how to improve teaching and learning.”

Zambia adopted a policy of free primary education in 2002. Many teachers, who like educators everywhere tend to teach as they were taught, are not familiar with the use of active, participatory, and child-centered teaching that has shown success in other developing countries.

To support instructional change at the classroom level, professors such as Sturtevant provide workshop trainings, encourage the teachers to develop professional discussions and sharing among themselves, support teacher leaders, and provide in-class coaching.

 


About CEHD

George Mason University's College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) includes two schools: the Graduate School of Education, one of the largest teacher preparation and education schools in Virginia, and the School of Recreation, Health, and Tourism. CEHD offers a comprehensive range of degrees, certificates, courses, and licensure programs on campus, online, and on site. The college is distinguished by faculty who encourage new ways of thinking and pioneering research supported by more than $75 million in funding over the past five years.

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